I Got Your Back
by LadyKF
Summary: Zack died, and ShinRa brought him back. Vincent saved him when Deepground fell. Sometimes, he gets to save him back.


**A/N:** This was one of my pinch hits for the FF7Central Fanworks Exchange over on Ao3, for VorpalGirl, who is actually a really good friend of mine. I combined her prompt about Zack making Vincent smile with a prompt she'd given me ages ago about Vincent rescuing Zack from Deepground, and I think she'll really like this.

* * *

For most of his life, Zack Fair had it firmly in his head that he was going to Be A Hero. As he got older, that switched from starry eyes over superheroes and fairytale knights to hero-worship of the trio of famous SOLDIERs, men he eventually got to know as he chased his dream to Midgar. He worked _hard,_ would have anyway, even if Angeal hadn't been there demanding his best, always inspiring him to be better. He really felt like he was making a _difference,_ fighting the good fight.

Then came Wutai, graveyard of many a young man's delusions and just the beginning of his own realizations, the unmasking of clones and the loss of his mentor and friend. He met Sephiroth there, and they struggled through the next few years together. Banora. Modeoheim.

Then _Nibelheim,_ and god, just the name still gave him chills. He should have hightailed it out of there as soon as he'd found a man sleeping, locked in a _coffin,_ but he stayed, never dreaming… never in his worst _nightmares_ could he have imagined Sephiroth would lose it. That he'd lose _Sephiroth_, too. He'd lost so much there, including _five years_ of his life to a madman's whimsy. He managed to eke out less than half of that, on the run, coming back to Midgar to see one of the last bright spots in his world. He knew he wasn't a hero by then. Thought maybe he'd be a mercenary.

Then the army had caught them. Killed him. Angeal brought him to the Lifestream, and he thought maybe he could adjust to that, strong enough to linger, a silent presence watching over Cloud.

Then, ShinRa _brought him back._

He remembered less of his time in Deepground than he did of his first time under Hojo's questionable care, it wasn't an easy thing for the dead to be dragged back to living again and his body… god, his body….

Zack shook his head, a hand smoothing over his chest. Through his shirt, he couldn't feel the edges of any of the scarring, plenty left even after the surgeries to put him back together, but he knew where it was well enough that it didn't matter. His eyes glowed a brighter blue violet than they had, but the violet was better than teal. He'd take the red tinting over green any day.

Including, in fact, the red eyes that were currently watching him. There was a _very_ distinct feel of when it was Vincent's eyes on him, he'd gotten used to it. Liked it, even. Enough to make him turn, smiling half over his shoulder before he got a proper look at him. "Hi."

"Hi." Vincent tilted his head, dark bangs swaying a little, freed of the usually omnipresent headband. For the moment, he was just stripped down to smooth lines of a dark shirt and darker leathers, and apparently at some point he'd settled back in the chair he preferred. "Restless?"

"I'm fine." The lie came far too easily, and earned him the slow arch of a brow. It was tempting to take it back, but the words wouldn't quite come under that assessing stare.

Vincent made a quiet sound, shifting forward in his seat without breaking his deadpan stare. "You're not thinking of challenging my rightful position as brooding champion, are you?"

Zack snorted, unable to resist a quiet chuckle at that. "Nah, I'll leave that competition between you and Cloud."

"Good." A small smile said that response was the one Vincent had wanted, or at least the first of it. A slow curl of fingers could be read as a casual gesture, or beckoning - Vincent always left room to escape any sense of obligation. These days, Zack appreciated it. "The future Empress of Wutai gave me that title, I'll have you know."

Yuffie _would,_ and then some, Zack was sure. It had been… interesting, meeting her again. Meeting everyone again. Once, maybe, they'd have been the comforting ones, the familiar, but he felt like after all he'd been through…

There was a deliberate creak of leather - you never heard Vincent if he didn't want you to, not even as enhanced as Zack was - and he looked up to find him coming over. He was silent, and there was concern in his gaze, but he didn't ask. He never asked, and somehow that made it easier to talk, the lack of expectation. "Can't seem to get out of my head today."

"Some days are like that." Vincent would be the last person to judge, and maybe the first person to _get_ it, though Cloud was close. Cloud didn't remember things the way they did, though. There was recognition in Vincent's eyes when he woke up choking on his own screams that he wouldn't wish on anybody, but was guiltily grateful for.

Zack took a small step closer, laying his hand in Vincent's. His was broader, but no stronger, and long fingers curled with deceptive gentleness around his hand. They stood like that a moment with the single physical anchor before Zack closed that final distance, resting his head on Vincent's chest. After another pause, he felt a hand on his hair, gentle resting pressure surprisingly reassuring. "… I wanna go back to bed."

Vincent made a quiet sound, understanding, but didn't move right away. "Company?"

Zack smiled against the smooth fabric, nodding a little. "Yeah."

* * *

The first time they'd ended up in bed hadn't been that different, except it was more obviously Zack's idea then. The first _several_ times were Zack's idea, actually.

He'd had more than one fling over the years, even though he'd ended up with Aerith, who he'd never actually gotten that 'far' with between everything going on back then and the fact that he had to get under the Plate and around _Turks_ to see her. But this was different. The first time, Zack hadn't been free all that long and he was trying to come to terms with everything. Vincent had stayed with him, listening to him, until he'd started to finally droop, exhaustion demanding sleep at last. Vincent had gotten up to leave, and without thinking, Zack had asked him to stay.

He wasn't sure what he'd really expected, especially when he was treated to a particularly piercing look for a moment that seemed to last an age, but Vincent sat back down on the bed, sitting on the sheets while Zack curled on his side under them. Somehow… somehow it had helped. They fell into a sort of pattern then, that Vincent would stay on the bed at first and nearby after - usually reading something, sometimes just watching the stars. It didn't matter, so much that he was there in sight when Zack would open his eyes, immediately putting the world into safe context.

After all, Chaos or not, Vincent was more than capable of protecting them both.

Funny, when the SOLDIER was the one that needed protected. _Ex-SOLDIER,_ officially, there wasn't a _SOLDIER_ anymore and he sure as hell had lost his SOLDIER Pride. Things were so different now, and he was struggling to catch up.

A gloved hand touched his shoulder, and he sighed, rolling over to peer up at Vincent. "Hi."

"Hello," Vincent murmured, smiling faintly. He allowed Zack to take his hand, long fingers lacing together as they watched each other. When Zack let his eyes close for a moment, he felt the ghost of a touch brushing his bangs out of his face, always so very _gentle_ with him.

He didn't ask if it was better, not with words. He just watched, a silent guardian and sympathetic companion who _knew, _oh so well, what it was like.

Laying there, comforted by his presence, Zack had the distinct, intense urge to return the favor. He smiled, perhaps not as sunny as he used to, but more than he had in a long time, and even more when Vincent gave him a baffled look. "We should go somewhere tomorrow."

_Going out_ with Vincent was not the sort of _going out_ that Zack used to do, but he wasn't in the mood for high action and crowds these days anyway. Low key, relaxed fun was definitely the better way to go for both of them, these days.

"Where would you like?" Vincent asked, which was about half agreement, conditional on his answer.

Zack had learned to give multiple options back - _before_ \- so doing it for Vincent didn't take a second thought. "Shoot past the WRO to the beach? Climb the Healen Mountains? Rent some 'bos and go for a wander around the plains?"

Vincent's lips twitched towards a smile, a breath of a chuckle escaping. "We could see about one of the last two."

"Awesome." Zack smiled, squeezing his hand. "We could _race._"

A glint of challenge lit his eyes. "…we could…"

"We _should,_" he corrected.

"Perhaps. Depending on the mounts," Vincent said.

"Depending on the mounts," Zack agreed.

"But tomorrow. Unless you want to camp out overnight."

"I mean, I wouldn't say no necessarily." Camping out on the eastern plains shouldn't be a problem; not _proper_ camping, at least, with a tent and everything. Trauma had yet to take that from him, thankfully. "All the stars… fresh air… not a bad thing."

"Mmm." Vincent smiled faintly. "I suppose there's nothing keeping us here."

"Not a thing in the world," Zack agreed. If someone needed them, they had their phones, after all, even if half the time he'd taken to filtering Vincent's calls for him. "Can we?"

Vincent's smile turned indulgent and he rose. "We'll have to pack lightly. Our eventual mounts can't carry us and a huge load."

"Can do!" Feeling better with something to _do,_ Zack got out of bed and went to pack at once.

* * *

There was something to say for the sheer beauty of nature, and the glory of all the stars on display without light pollution. Zack had never appreciated them enough growing up, and there was no seeing them in Midgar, and well… _after,_ things had been awful hectic to just relax and admire anything.

But now? This was perfect.

They'd set out on foot, neither one of them caring much for cars and all the time in the world to walk to Chocobo Bills. It wasn't like they had an appointment, after all, and it was a pretty walk. And it _helped,_ getting out. _Doing, _even if it was just one foot in front of the other; Zack wasn't surprised Vincent had done so much wandering in the slightest. It was just _easier _than having to have a Place and Things and _routine._

Mood successfully lifted by being outdoors, he turned his attention back to his - friend? companion? guardian? all of the above and then some - and assessed. He wasn't the only one to ever have rough days, after all, and while he knew Vincent would _much _rather he make sure he had his own head on straight first, once he had… well, it was a mutual watch for each other.

He'd heard Vincent used to be really reclusive, (_"used to be" _he could hear AVALANCHE snorting now, but he was listening to Shelke and Reeve who knew him better than most) in a more… emotionally unhealthy way. He understandably carried a hell of a lot of baggage, and had had absolutely no help going through it. Not that he thought Vincent was any more eager to sit down with a _professional_ than Zack himself was, but working through shit on your own… it was hard.

Vincent hadn't _talked_ much to him about it, not even compared to what Zack had told him of his own history, but Zack wasn't an idiot and well… people talked. Even Cloud, and _especially_ Cid, who was oddly protective for someone as rough around the edges as he was. They were interesting, unexpected friends, and he took a lot of cues from him at first. Cid, Reeve, and Cloud probably had the most communication with Vincent, out of AVALANCHE, and their unique approaches to his friendship were enlightening. None of them, granted, fit quite the way they did, though.

Because with him, Vincent still… he wasn't suddenly healed of his trauma, that wasn't going to happen. And he wasn't suddenly 'open' about it, exactly. But he didn't deny it, either. He didn't deny that sometimes (most of the time) it was effecting him in some way, if only in the amount of pain he was in. He didn't deny that certain things - ordinary, odd little things sometimes - would set off visceral reactions that required him to leave the area without explanation. He didn't deny there were very real, very present problems still.

He also didn't deny himself a little company, when he was ready. The first time Zack had come and sat with him, he'd been visibly startled, but he didn't protest - he'd just come and plopped himself down a few feet away from Vincent's brooding spot, with a book and clearly no intention of making him converse. He'd glanced at Vincent now and then, but eventually saw him relax. Saw the wildness leave his eyes, for something tired and grateful. From then on, as long as Zack was in a headspace to offer calm, he'd give him a little bit of time to settle, then go sit with him in supportive silence. A reminder that he wasn't alone, if he didn't want to be. And it seemed to help him, too.

"I can hear your brain churning," Vincent said, deadpan but with that little gleam in his eye that Zack had quickly identified as teasing.

Sometimes the resemblances between him and - _nope, nope not going down that road._

"Yeah, well, I didn't bring any tunes to sing along with," Zack said. "Gotta let the brain brain."

Vincent chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Mmm."

"I'm not getting lost, promise," Zack said, knowing what the real worry behind it had been; given his mood earlier, that was entirely fair. But being out in nature gave him enough stimulation that he could focus on other things, even if he hadn't had some safer introspection to have.

"Good," Vincent said softly.

Zack hummed, swinging his hand out and hooking his pinky with Vincent's, smiling and giving it a little squeeze - a _thanks for caring_ he didn't verbalize.

Vincent squeezed back with a little smile, and allowed the continued contact.

Zack was getting awfully fond of that little smile. In fact, he went out of his way to get one. His goal was still to hear a full laugh out of him, but those little chuckles made him happy, too.

"Good thoughts, then?" Vincent said after a moment, glancing at him. "You're smiling."

"Got plenty to smile about. Beautiful out here," Zack said. He waited a deliberate beat before adding. "And the environment's pretty damn nice too."

Vincent snorted, a smirk quickly ducked behind the collar of his mantle, which evolved into quiet chuckles as Zack squeezed his pinky with a winning smile. "Incorrigible."

"Yeah, probably," he agreed. "But I'm not wrong."

"Mmm." Not agreement, but not disagreement either, which was progress.

Of course, Zack had had a reputation as a flirt before, and didn't doubt that the others talked to Vincent, too, so he probably wasn't inclined to take it too seriously. Which was fine. Zack meant it, sure, but wasn't sure he was ready to _act_ on much either. They were both still very much in the 'ask before you touch me' stage half the time, for their own reasons. Zack wouldn't call himself touch _repulsed,_ exactly - if anything, he was a little touch-_starved - _but he kept expecting it to hurt, and it was going to take time to get past that impulse.

A few people were safe, though. Cloud and the kids didn't set off any alarms. And neither did Vincent. So… yeah, he was open to touching, even if he wasn't pressing for it. Besides, that was still probably _clothed_ touching. Vincent wasn't the only one uncomfortable looking at his own body.

Aaaaand he needed not to let his mind go _there,_ either. He sighed, giving a little tug on Vincent's hand. "Tell me a story."

Vincent chuckled softly, glancing at him. "Because of course, I'm the verbose one."

"I have _heard you_ tell stories, Vincent, _good ones,_" Zack insisted. "C'mon. It doesn't have to be a long one."

Vincent gave a put-upon sigh, red eyes gleaming with amusement despite his display. "And when was that?"

"When Marlene asked, when we got stuck during that storm," Zack said immediately.

"…you were helping Tifa reinforce windows."

"So? Enhanced hearing," he pointed out.

"I wasn't talking that loudly."

"I could pick your voice out in a crowd, at this point," Zack said. "You have a _very_ distinct voice."

Vincent hummed, that soft, deep rumble that was like distant thunder but _warm._ He sighed again, tilting his head, and began to speak again, in the distinct almost lyrical tone of one reciting a story they'd heard many times before, probably from a family member. It was soothing, and easy to just get lost in his voice, but the _story_, once Zack realized where it was going, was _fascinating._

"Wait, wait, okay. So, these priestesses are matriarchal but the _society_ is patriarchal, and this noble dude goes to _her dad_ for permission to court, right? How big was that insult?" Zack asked.

"I'm getting there," Vincent said, a hint of amusement in his tone. And he did, complete with cringe worthy detail of the man's 'smiting' that left Zack howling with laughter.

"Oh my _god._ So they legit let the rest of the community believe he was _smited by Leviathan _for the insult to the priestesses?" Zack grinned widely.

"Being fair, they _are_ his representatives. And I doubt he would appreciate them being disrespected," Vincent said evenly. "They were not women to be trifled with."

"But it came to light eventually right? I mean, it had to for you to have heard about it," Zack said. "Or did Yuffie tell you?"

"The woman being propositioned was my aunt," Vincent said dryly. "It was a story my mother told Father. A cautionary tale, you understand."

Zack cracked up again, swinging their hands as he wound down from his mirth. "I won't tell Yuffie."

"I'd just as soon you not," he agreed. "Leave them their mystique."

"Of course." Still, he couldn't help but grin at it. "Family drama. _Not_ what I'd expected."

"No?" He arched a brow.

"Nah, I was thinking like… mythology or something," Zack said. "Or history."

"That _was_ history," he said.

"You know what I mean." He huffed, tugging his finger.

Vincent smiled, shifting to lace their fingers together instead. "I suppose. But you wanted entertained."

"History can be interesting, sometimes," Zack said, warmed by the gesture but knowing better than to comment on the casual affection. "Besides, I'm from Gongaga. We're _huge_ on oral history, legit and folktales alike. Like, seriously, writing things down? A very modern idea that still hadn't quite caught on when I left."

"Mmm… then you tell _me_ a story," Vincent prompted.

Zack blinked at him, startled, but grinned before he could take it back. "Alright. Lemme see… you familiar with Touch Mes?"

"…I never understood why they weren't _'Don't_ Touch Mes'," Vincent admitted "But yes."

"Alright. Lemme tell you a _story._" Because in his opinion, _everyone_ needed to hear the story of his buddy Jacob who very badly misunderstood what a Maiden's Kiss was.

He watched Vincent as he talked, and saw the moment realization dawned. His eyes lit, and his little smile slowly spread into a grin that gave way to genuine rumbling laughter at the climax of the story, and Zack wished he could capture the moment in a bottle to keep for later. The thought, _goddess bless, he__'s gorgeous_ was not a new one, but he gently shelved it for another day. For now, the goal was to earn more of that genuine laughter and bright-eyed smiles.

And, if he could say so himself, he was pretty darn good at it.


End file.
